Farrah Fawcett her battle with cancer in Farrah's Story

May 17, 12:36 PMSeattle Women's Health ExaminerKellie Fielding

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Actress Farrah Fawcett's longtime companion Ryan O'Neal pauses while being
interviewed about her at the world premiere screening of the NBC documentary 
"Farrah's Story" in Beverly Hills, Calif., Wednesday, May 13, 2009. The feature-length 
documentary chronicles Fawcett's two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer.  At left in the
photo is the film's producer Alana Stewart.  (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

 Farrah Fawcett’s documentary entitled “Farrah’s Story”, aired Friday night on NBC. Close to 9 million viewers watched the two hour show that focused on her battle with cancer. The documentary was very up close and personal and showed how this actress has continued to fight the disease with incredible courage.

Farrah was diagnosed with anal cancer back in 2006 and has spent the past few years determined to win the battle against cancer. Unfortunately, the cancer continued to spread and was later also found in her liver. Her documentary was intended to show the viewers every aspect of the disease and what a person goes through during the course of this type of cancer. Alana Stewart, a close friend of Farrah and a producer on the film, stated, “Fawcett's video diary was initially intended for private viewing by family and friends, but was shared with a wider audience after the actress realized her story could inspire others”.

Viewers watched as Farrah went through numerous hospital stays and painful treatments that she had undergone both in California and Germany. She displayed a quest for knowledge on the disease and inquired to doctors and caregivers to find out all she could. The show was done in a journal type of format so there were times where you’d hear Farrah’s voice interjecting her personal thoughts over the situation she was facing.

The New York Post gave “Farrah’s Story” a very negative review stating, “It does not register with her that her wealth and fame, which afford her private jets to Germany and an international team of doctors, are unavailable to the vast majority of cancer sufferers, and that, if not for her station in life, she would not have had extra time. She does not seem to wrestle, at all, with the notion that there may be some experiences best kept private, that the unintended consequences of over sharing can be a cheapening and coarsening of the most meaningful moments."

Overall, the viewers who have supported Farrah Fawcett throughout her life seemed to embrace this documentary and respect her even more for sharing her experiences with the world.  Throughout the last three decades, actor Ryan O’Neal has been lovingly by her side. In a recent interview with People magazine Ryan commented on Farrah’s condition saying, "At about the halfway point in our trips the news started to get darker and darker and darker. The hope started to fade, but not for Farrah. She continued fighting. There was always a courage there, and a quiet dignity. Farrah never changed. I fell in love with her all over again because of how she handled this."

Please take a moment and share your thoughts and comments on “Farrah’s Story”.